Method and system for garment de-wrinkling

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a system and method for garment de-wrinkling that includes enclosing the garment in a special-purpose garment de-wrinkling garment bag, spraying a garment with a de-wrinkling solution; hanging the garment in the garment bag and hanging the garment in the garment bag from a support; connecting the air-output end of a hair-dryer machine to the second end of the garment bag; blowing warmed air from the hair-dryer machine into the garment bag to de-wrinkle the garment; and removing the de-wrinkled garment from the garment bag

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to garment drying and/or de-wrinkling systems, and more particularly to devices and methods for garment de-wrinkling by delivering air, warmed by a hair dryer, into a garment enclosure that holds a garment that has been sprayed with a de-wrinkling solution.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Wrinkled clothes have been a problem for traveling professionals as well as homekeepers. Accordingly, one standard method for garment de-wrinkling is steam the garment. This method is clumsy and not easily taken on a business trip.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,572 to Manning issued Jul. 1, 1997 with the title “PORTABLE GARMENT DRYER WITH CARRYING CASE,” and is incorporated herein by reference. Manning describes a portable garment dryer that has a planar base member with a centrally located opening. A light but durable, air permeable garment bag is secured about the opening on one side of the planar base. An elastic grommet-like member circumscribes the opening on the other side of the planar base member and snugly receives a barrel of a hair dryer in an air tight relationship. A pair of adjustable straps are secured to the opposite side of the planar member and supports the planar base so that the garment bag hangs freely beneath planar member. A damp garment can be hung in the interior of the bag and the hair-dryer unit turned on. Foldable flaps extend from the planar base member to enclose the garment bag folded tightly against the base member when the garment dryer is not in use.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,464,562 to Colburn et al. on Jun. 18, 2013 with the title “GARMENT STEAMER,” and is incorporated herein by reference. Colburn et al. describe an apparatus for steaming a garment comprising an expandable enclosure having a wall circumscribing a hollow space therein, the hollow space accessible through a re-closeable opening in the wall. A clothes-hanging element and stretch element contained within the hollow space, the clothes hanging element for holding the garment and the stretch element for stretching the garment. A steam generator connected to provide steam to the hollow space. The steam generator has a water reservoir chamber and a steam chamber with a partition there between. At least one pair of electrodes is arranged within the steam chamber to provide an electric current that resistively heats a source of water to create steam. A water communication port in the partition allows water to pass from the water reservoir chamber to the steam chamber in a manner that self-regulates the amount of steam generated.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,254 to Church issued Feb. 21, 1989 with the title “Composition and method for removal of wrinkles in fabrics,” and is incorporated herein by reference. Church describes an aqueous composition is provided for removing wrinkles from a fabric or garment comprising: (a) from about 10 to 60%, by weight, of one or more alcohols selected from the group consisting of ethyl, propyl and isopropyl alcohols; (b) from about 1 to 10%, by weight, of glycerine; (c) a nonionic surfactant in an amount sufficient to enhance the wettability of the fabric, and; (d) the balance water. The process of using the de-wrinkling composition comprises spraying the composition on the wrinkled fabric or garment and then allowing same to dry.

Other prior art includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,214,923, 3,594,917, 3,601,292, 3,752,373, 4,806,254, 5,528,912, 5,642,572, 5,730,006, 5,789,368, 6,622,529, and 7,941,936, each of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Certain prior-art steamers are cumbersome and generate scalding steam that can be dangerous, and leave the clothes damp with the condensed water from the steam. Prior-art wrinkle-removing fluids (e.g., see U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,254) themselves alone are not a solution to the problem of de-wrinkling clothes. Other attempts (e.g., see U.S. Pat. No. 8,464,562) also do not provide a complete solution.

There remains a need for an improved system and method for garment de-wrinkling.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In some embodiments, the present invention provides a garment de-wrinkling device that includes a fabric bag with a hair-dryer warm-air-input port. In some embodiments, the present invention uses a method for de-wrinkling a garment, the method including: providing a fabric bag having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is configured be hung from a support, wherein the second end is configured to hold an air-output end of a hair-dryer machine; and wherein the fabric bag has one or more air-exhaust vents; spraying a garment with a de-wrinkling solution; hanging the garment in the fabric bag and hanging the garment in the fabric bag from a support; closing the fabric bag with the garment inside the fabric bag; connecting the air-output end of a hair-dryer machine to the second end of the fabric bag; blowing warmed air from the hair-dryer machine into the fabric bag to de-wrinkle the garment; and removing the de-wrinkled garment from the fabric bag.

In some embodiments, the present invention provides a new combination of elements some of which are described in the prior art, such as certain elements described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,572, U.S. Pat. No. 8,464,562, and/or U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,254.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a front view of a garment de-wrinkling device 100 according to some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a front view of a garment de-wrinkling device 201 according to some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2B is a front view of a garment de-wrinkling device 202 according to some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2C is a close-up cutaway view of the bottom of garment de-wrinkling device 202 according to some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 3A is an end-perspective view and a top-perspective view of a garment de-wrinkling device 300 according to some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 3B is two side-perspective views and a top-perspective view of garment de-wrinkling device 300 according to some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 3C is an end-perspective view, a side-perspective views and a top-perspective view of garment de-wrinkling device 300 according to some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front-perspective view of garment de-wrinkling device 400 according to some embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Although the following detailed description contains many specifics for the purpose of illustration, a person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that many variations and alterations to the following details are within the scope of the invention. Specific examples are used to illustrate particular embodiments; however, the invention described in the claims is not intended to be limited to only these examples, but rather includes the full scope of the attached claims. Accordingly, the following preferred embodiments of the invention are set forth without any loss of generality to, and without imposing limitations upon the claimed invention. Further, in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The embodiments shown in the Figures and described here may include features that are not included in all specific embodiments. A particular embodiment may include only a subset of all of the features described, or a particular embodiment may include all of the features described.

The leading digit(s) of reference numbers appearing in the Figures generally correspond to the Figure number in which that component is first introduced, such that the same reference number is used throughout to refer to an identical component which appears in multiple Figures. Signals and connections may be referred to by the same reference number or label, and the actual meaning will be clear from its use in the context of the description.

FIG. 1 is a front-view drawing of a garment de-wrinkling device 100, according to some embodiments of the invention. In some embodiments, device 100 includes a garment bag 110 configured to provide a hair-dryer connection 111 at the bottom of garment bag 110, and optionally a hanger 113 at an upper end of garment bag 110 to hang and support the garment being de-wrinkled. In some embodiments, garment bag 110 further includes a full-length sturdy center zipper 116. In some embodiments, garment bag 110 is made from environmentally friendly breathable non-woven material.

In some embodiments, the method of the present invention includes:

first, placing a shirt, blouse, trousers, or other garment on a hanger;

second, spraying the garment with specially made de-wrinkling solution as a pre-treatment;

third, placing the garment in de-wrinkler garment bag 110 and zipping bag 110 up;

fourth, placing a hair dryer on high heat and inserting the hair dryer into a specially designed hair-dryer connection 111 (e.g., a hole, baffle, or other suitable connection) at the bottom of de-wrinkler garment bag 110, heating garment bag 110 (using the hair dryer) for 1.5 to 2.5 minutes (in some embodiments, shaking bag 110 while heating), then removing the hair dryer from de-wrinkler garment bag 110; and

fifth, removing the de-wrinkled garment from garment bag 110 and wearing the de-wrinkled garment.

FIG. 2A is a front view of a garment de-wrinkling device 201 according to some embodiments of the present invention. In some embodiments, device 100 includes a garment bag 210 configured to provide a hair-dryer connection 111 at the bottom of garment bag 210, one or more exhaust vents 112 in garment bag 210 at one or more locations above hair-dryer connection 111, and optionally a hanger 113 at an upper end of garment bag 210 to hang and support the garment 99 being de-wrinkled. In some embodiments, garment bag 210 further includes a plurality of baffles 114 at the lower end of garment bag 210 to distribute the warm air from the hair dryer across the entire width of the lower end of the garment 99. In some embodiments, garment bag 210 is made from environmentally friendly breathable non-woven material. In other embodiments, garment bag 210 is made from plastic sheet material or woven fabric material.

FIG. 2B is a front view of a garment de-wrinkling device 202 according to some embodiments of the present invention. In some embodiments, device 100 includes a garment bag 212 configured to provide a hair-dryer connection 111 at the bottom of garment bag 212, optionally one or more exhaust vents 112 in garment bag 212 at one or more locations above hair-dryer connection 111, and optionally a hanger 113 at an upper end of garment bag 212 to hang and support the garment 99 being de-wrinkled. In some embodiments, garment bag 212 further includes a single baffle 215 having a plurality of holes 216 at the lower end of garment bag 212 to distribute the warm air from the hair dryer across the entire width of the lower end of the garment 99.

To use garment de-wrinkling device 202 (and similarly 100, 201, or 400) of the present invention, the human user will hang the garment 99 on hanger 113 inside garment bag 212, and hang hanger 113 from a support such as a closet clothes rod or a door jamb or other suitable support. The user will spray the garment with de-wrinkling solution before and/or after placing the garment in the garment bag 212. The user will attach a hair dryer 98 to the hair-dryer connection 112 at the bottom of garment bag 212. The warm air spreads across the entire garment, and the warm air 97 helps the fabric de-wrinkling solution to remove wrinkles. After a suitable period of time, the human user will remove the de-wrinkled garment 99 from garment bag 212.

In some embodiments, garment bag 212 includes a plurality of internal baffles 115 that evenly distribute the warm air 97 across the entire width of garment bag 212 and thus evenly dry and warm the entire garment 99. In some embodiments, baffles 115 are strips of fabric that are heat-welded, sewn, or held by adhesive to the front and back of garment bag 212, thus providing a plurality of air channels for warm air 97 starting from the entry port 117 and extending to a plurality of separated output ends across the width of garment bag 212. In other embodiments, hose 111 from the hair dryer 98 is connected to a plurality of entry ports 117 (only one of which is shown here) that are spaced across the width of garment bag, providing equivalent function as baffles 115, which is to supply warm air across the width of garment bag 212 and garment 99).

In some embodiments, garment bag 212 is made of vinyl or other suitable flexible polymer, while in other embodiments, garment bag 212 is made of woven or non-woven cloth. In some embodiments, the cloth of garment bag 212 is air-permeable, and in some such embodiments, the exhaust ports 112 are omitted.

In some embodiments, garment de-wrinkling device 100 further includes an over-temperature warning device (e.g., including a temperature sensor at the bottom of the bag 212) that initiates an alarm (such as a sound and/or flashing lights that warns the user to decrease the heat from the hair dryer 98, turn hair dryer 98 off, and/or remove hair dryer 98 and the garment from garment bag 212.

FIG. 2C is a close-up cutaway view of the bottom of garment de-wrinkling device 202 according to some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 3A is an end-perspective view and a top-perspective view of a garment de-wrinkling device 300 according to some embodiments of the present invention. In some embodiments, garment de-wrinkling device 300 is a duffle bag having a cloth cover inside the zipper, and a hair-dryer connection 111 at an end. Such a bag is useful for de-wrinkling T-shirts and the like.

FIG. 3B is two side-perspective views and a top-perspective view of garment de-wrinkling device 300 according to some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 3C is an end-perspective view, a side-perspective views and a top-perspective view of garment de-wrinkling device 300 according to some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front-perspective view of garment de-wrinkling device 400 according to some embodiments of the present invention. In some embodiments, garment de-wrinkling device 400 combines features of garment de-wrinkling device 300 (FIG. 3A), and garment de-wrinkling device 202 (FIG. 2B), as described above, by attaching the upper parts of device 202 to the duffle bag and its hair-dryer connection 111.

In some embodiments, the present invention provides a kit to de-wrinkle a garment, the kit including: a garment bag having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is configured to hold a clothes hanger that can be hung from a support, wherein the second end is configured to hold an air-output end of a hair-dryer machine; and wherein the garment bag has one or more air-exhaust vents; and a de-wrinkling-solution dispenser configured to hold de-wrinkling solution and to spray the de-wrinkling solution onto a garment that is to be de-wrinkled in the garment bag.

In some embodiments, the present invention provides a method for de-wrinkling a garment, the method including: providing a garment bag having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is configured be hung from a support, wherein the second end is configured to hold an air-output end of a hair-dryer machine; and wherein the garment bag has one or more air-exhaust vents; spraying a garment with a de-wrinkling solution; hanging the garment in the garment bag and hanging the garment in the garment bag from a support; closing the garment bag with the garment inside the garment bag; connecting the air-output end of a hair-dryer machine to the second end of the garment bag; blowing warmed air from the hair-dryer machine into the garment bag to de-wrinkle the garment; and removing the de-wrinkled garment from the garment bag.

In some embodiments, the present invention provides a garment de-wrinkling apparatus including: a garment bag having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is configured be hung from a support, wherein the second end is configured to hold an air-output end of a hair-dryer machine; and wherein the garment bag has one or more air-exhaust vents; means for spraying a garment with a de-wrinkling solution; means for hanging the garment in the garment bag and hanging the garment in the garment bag from a support; means for closing the garment bag with the garment inside the garment bag; means for connecting the air-output end of a hair-dryer machine to the second end of the garment bag such that the hair-dryer machine blows warmed air into the garment bag to de-wrinkle the garment; and means for removing the de-wrinkled garment from the garment bag.

In some embodiments, the present invention provides an apparatus to de-wrinkle a garment, the apparatus comprising: a garment bag having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is configured to hold a clothes hanger that can be hung from a support, wherein the second end is configured to hold an air-output end of a hair-dryer machine; and wherein the garment bag has one or more air-exhaust vents.

It is specifically contemplated that the present invention includes embodiments having combinations and subcombinations of the various embodiments and features that are individually described herein (i.e., rather than listing every combinatorial of the elements, this specification includes descriptions of representative embodiments and contemplates embodiments that include some of the features from one embodiment combined with some of the features of another embodiment). Further, some embodiments include fewer than all the components described as part of any one of the embodiments described herein.

It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. Although numerous characteristics and advantages of various embodiments as described herein have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of various embodiments, many other embodiments and changes to details will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. The scope of the invention should be, therefore, determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. In the appended claims, the terms “including” and “in which” are used as the plain-English equivalents of the respective terms “comprising” and “wherein,” respectively. Moreover, the terms “first,” “second,” etc., are used merely as labels, and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on their objects. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for de-wrinkling a garment, the method comprising: providing a garment bag having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is configured be hung from a support, wherein the second end is configured to hold an air-output end of a hair-dryer machine; and wherein the garment bag has one or more air-exhaust vents; spraying a garment with a de-wrinkling solution; hanging the garment in the garment bag and hanging the garment in the garment bag from a support; closing the garment bag with the garment inside the garment bag; connecting the air-output end of a hair-dryer machine to the second end of the garment bag; blowing warmed air from the hair-dryer machine into the garment bag to de-wrinkle the garment; and removing the de-wrinkled garment from the garment bag.
 2. A garment de-wrinkling apparatus comprising: a garment bag having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is configured be hung from a support, wherein the second end is configured to hold an air-output end of a hair-dryer machine; and wherein the garment bag has one or more air-exhaust vents; means for spraying a garment with a de-wrinkling solution; means for hanging the garment in the garment bag and hanging the garment in the garment bag from a support; means for closing the garment bag with the garment inside the garment bag; means for connecting the air-output end of a hair-dryer machine to the second end of the garment bag such that the hair-dryer machine blows warmed air into the garment bag to de-wrinkle the garment; and means for removing the de-wrinkled garment from the garment bag.
 3. An apparatus to de-wrinkle a garment, the apparatus comprising: a garment bag having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is configured to hold a clothes hanger that can be hung from a support, wherein the second end is configured to hold an air-output end of a hair-dryer machine; and wherein the garment bag has one or more air-exhaust vents.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising: a de-wrinkling-solution dispenser configured to hold de-wrinkling solution and to spray the de-wrinkling solution onto a garment that is to be de-wrinkled in the garment bag, the bag and solution dispenser forming a kit to de-wrinkle a garment. 